


Resurgence

by Hinn_Raven



Category: Young Justice, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Death Fix, Endgame Fix-It, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-05
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 01:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/831287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinn_Raven/pseuds/Hinn_Raven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Healing is a slow process. Too bad the universe seems to have forgotten that. Even as the Team and the Justice League try to recover from the death of Wally West, the universe throws another obstacle for them to deal with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Dani for everything.

“Sixteen,” Dick muttered, placing another pin into his wall. “Sixteen.”

The wall in front of him was a mural of photographs, maps, pins, readouts, and newspaper clippings. Mission briefings were strewn across the floor, maps were spread out on the counter. Bright red threads connected things on the wall.

There was almost no correlation between any of the things that the former Boy Wonder was pouring over, except the fact that, somewhere on each of them, the number 16 appeared.

“Dick,” Artemis muttered, appearing in the doorway of his living room. The blonde looked exhausted. Her eyes were red, the skin underneath them puffy. She’d had another nightmare. She wore a too-familiar jersey and black sweats. Brucely was by her feet, whining softly. “You need to sleep.”

“I already got three hours,” he muttered, stabbing another pin into the wall.

“That’s not enough Dick,” Artemis said, growing irritated. “What’s that you’re doing, anyway?”

Dick dropped his hands to his side, turning to face her. His posture drooped. “I don’t even know Artemis.”

“Dick…” She reached up and pulled him down into a hug. “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you two back in,” he whispered, his fingers clenching at the shirt of her—Wally’s—jersey. “You were out. They way you wanted to be—”

Artemis pulled back, her face full of anger. “The world was in danger, Dick. We would have come back, even if you hadn’t asked. We were needed. We both knew the risks—” She broke off with a sob.

“I just wish it hadn’t been him,” Dick whispered, collapsing to the floor. She followed, sobbing brokenly.

They clung to each other, the two survivors of what had been three. It was wrong, like there should be another there with them. Someone with bad jokes and laughter and flirtatious comments and bright red hair. Someone to help them through this awful nightmare they had found themselves in.

But he was gone, and they were left to pick up the remainder, and it felt so wrong.

Brucely nudged them, whimpering softly.

“Come on Dick,” Artemis finally muttered. “We both need sleep.”

“Your turn for the bed,” Dick said hazily, getting to his feet.

“You’re already asleep Grayson,” Artemis said firmly, pushing him in the direction of his bedroom. “Sleep in your own bed!”

“Not… gentleman like, ‘Mis,” Dick muttered, stumbling a little as he slipped into his nickname for her back at the Academy. Artemis’s heart ached for those days.

“You never were a gentleman, Grayson. Alfred was so disappointed,” she crawled onto the couch, Brucely following her.

_“You brought your utility belt?”_

_“Never leave home without it!”_

_“Dude, that’s what a best pal’s for.”_

_“Man, once this whole mess is over… I’m going to ask Artemis to marry me. Be my best man?”_

Dick’s dreams were a confusing haze of numbers and dates. Of Wally and Artemis and double dates with Zee and Raquelle, of missions and parties and good days and bad. Dick woke up to a bout of nostalgia that practically choked him as he woke up, half convinced that he was fourteen again and that he had to get ready for school.

Reality slapped him in the face in the form of Brucely clambering onto his bed. Dick muttered, reaching to pet the dog.

Brucely had been one of Dick’s favorite parts of visiting Artemis and Wally in their Standford place. As soon as the two of them had moved out of Freshman housing, vowing never to stay in a dorm again, they had sought out to get a pet to accompany them. Dick had tagged along to the local shelter to help them pick out a pet.

_“First time owners?” The woman said, looking at them._

_Artemis smiled. “We’ve helped raise two dogs, but yes, this will be the first one that’s just ours.”_

_“Hmm…” the woman said, pushing her spectacles further up her nose. “Do you have a size preference?”_

_“Not tiny,” Artemis said immediately, at the same time as Wally said, “Not too big.”_

_The woman might have smiled, but she hid it by turning around.  “I think I might have just the dog for you…”_

_She led them to one of the first kennels, where a white bulldog sat. At the sound of their approach, the dog raised his head. His tail started to wag._

_One of them (all would deny it later, but smart money was on Wally) made a soft cooing noise. The woman smiled, opening the door and allowing them in._

_“What’s his name?” Artemis asked, scratching the dog behind the ear._

_“Brucely,” the woman said._

_The three of them exchanged looks. And then burst out laughing._

_“It’s a sign,” Wally declared._

_“It’s perfect,” Dick said, ruffling Brucely’s fur._

_“We’ll take him,” Artemis said, wrapping her arms around her three boys._

Dick’s nostrils flared. He grinned slightly, recognizing the smell of Artemis’s pancakes. He got out of bed and trotted into the kitchen, Brucely on his heals.

“Morning ‘Mis,” he said, smiling. And then he froze.

Artemis was collapsed on the floor, crying softly. The pancakes lay on the gridle, unattended. Dick went to her immediately, wrapping his arms around her. She let out a loud, sudden sob, and buried her face in the baggy fabric of Dick’s shirt. “I made too much,” she sobbed. “I made triple batch. Because he always eats—” She broke off, tears and snot blocking her airways.

Dick clung to her, trying not to think of Wally and breakfasts in their place at Stanford. Of Brucely and Wally begging for bacon bits and Artemis singing along to Rocky Horror Picture Show as she flipped pancakes and Dick making three types of coffee—one black, one mocca, and one decaf, because Wally was Not Allowed Caffeine.

Artemis eventually managed to pull herself together, but not before the pancakes were black and the smoke alarm went off. Dick went to disable it, and she managed to make pancakes for them, putting the leftover batter in the fridge.

“We should get out of the house today,” Artemis said quietly.

“Your mom called,” Dick said, looking at the landline, where the red unlistened to messages light was blinking. A large number sixteen flashed next to it.

One from Bruce. Three from Tim. One from Jade. Two from Roy. Five from Paula. Two from Conner. Two from M’gann. All untouched.

“Yeah,” Artemis muttered, swirling a forkful of pancakes in maple syrup. “Maybe I should go see her.” She looked up suddenly, eyes clear. “You should talk to Bruce.”

Dick slumped slightly. He’d been avoiding Bruce as much as possible. He didn’t want to talk to him. He didn’t want to look Bruce in the eye, admit all the mistakes he had made, all the lives he had nearly cost as he pursued the Mission. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “I know,” he muttered.

“You going in soon?” Dick said. “I know Kaldur called you yesterday.”

Artemis shrugged. “I might go in next week. But I’m… I don’t think I’m ready for full time yet.”

_“Keep up, Dickface!” Jason laughed, arms out wide as the two of them slid down the bannister of the grand staircase of the Manor._

_“Be careful Little Wing!” Dick called, grinning ear to ear. “That sounds like a challenge!”_

_“Oh, you’re on!” Jason shouted, leaning forward, picking up speed._

_The doorbell rang. Both of the birds looked up in unison, losing their balances in a completely undignified way. The door swung open, revealing an amused Artemis Crock and Wally West._

_“Bannister races?” Artemis said dryly._

_“You bet,” Jason said, grinning. “Hey ‘Mis! Hey Speedo!”_

_“Brat Wonder,” Wally said fondly, ruffling Jason’s hair as he helped him up. “How do you put up with this one, Dick?”_

_“Years of practice with you,” Dick said, smirking._

_Jason cackled, tackling Artemis from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck. “You two joining us for patrol?”_

_“Nah,” Wally said, looping an arm over Dick’s shoulders. “We were thinking the four of us could go hang out at the Cave. It’s movie night, after all.”_

_Jason’s eyes went so wide that Dick probably could have used birdarangs to measure them. “Wait, you mean?”_

_“You’re going to the Cave, Little Wing!” Artemis laughed, reaching up and mussing Jason’s hair. “Bruce finally gave the okay!”_

_“Wooo!” Jason cheered, letting go of Artemis in order to do a backflip. “Finally!”_

_“Better get into costume, Little Wing!” Dick said. “You know the rule.”_

_“What, Jay’s not breaking out the shades and hoodie?” Wally said, raising an eyebrow._

_“Second time, Wally,” Dick said, laughing. “Gotta make a good first impression.”_

_Jason’s face fell. “They already have one,” he pointed out. “You. They’re going to be expecting you.”_

_“That’s not true!” Artemis said, frowning. “You’re your own person Jay. They know that.”_

_Jason shrugged, dubious. “If you say so.” He climbed the staircase, leaving the three of them in the entryway. “I better go. I’ve got some homework to do. You guys go do your Golden Trio thing.”_

Dick pushed open the doors of the Manor. Not much had changed over the years. The chandelier was new (the last one have suffered a rather tragic death involving Dick, Wally, Jason, and the Great Prank War of 2014), the carpets had been restored recently, and pictures of Tim had joined the pictures of Dick, Jason, Bruce and Alfred on the walls. Idly, Dick wondered how Jason and Tim would have gotten along.

“Dick!” Tim said, standing on top of the staircase. “You’re here!”

“Yeah well,” Dick shrugged, grinning at his younger brother. “I figured I’d been gone too long.”

“That is a correct observation, Master Richard,” Alfred said, materializing out of nowhere. “You have indeed been gone far too long.”

“How long are you staying?” Tim couldn’t disguise the hope in his voice. Dick felt a rush of guilt. He had barely seen Tim since Wally’s death. He’d been so busy with grief that he had barely paid attention to his younger brother.

“At least for dinner,” he said, smiling. “Alfred, do you mind if Artemis joins us?”

“Of course not,” the butler said, granting Dick a small smile of approval. “It has been far too long since Miss Crock has joined us.”

Tim grinned at him. “What do you want to do until then?”

Dick threw his arm over Tim’s shoulders. “How does basketball sound?”

“Hand-eye coordination?” Tim said, smirking.

“One on one,” Dick said in agreement. “After that, let’s see if you can beat me in chessthis time.”

_Jason had been Robin for almost seven months when he finally got the clear to go to Mount Justice, and he had been training for almost six months before that, hearing stories about the Team and the Cave the whole time. He’d met Wally and Artemis of course—how could he not, they practically lived at the Manor—but never the others. He was excited to meet the others. Kaldur, Conner, M’gann, Zatanna, Raquelle, Tula, Garth, Gar, and Donna were all so elusive to him. He’d heard stories, seen pictures, and even spied a tiny bit via security camera, but he’d never gotten to meet any of them._

_The twelve year old grinned at Batman with feeling. “This is awesome!” He said._

_“C’mon,” Dick said, handing Jason his domino mask. Bruce placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder._

_“Let’s get going,” Bruce said, slipping into Batman. The three of them entered the Zeta-Tubes._

_“Recognized. Nightwing. B. Zero. One. Recognized. Batman. Zero. Two. Recognized. Robin. B. One. Three.”_

_Jason felt the familiar rush of zeta-beams, and then blinked as he materialized in the mountain._

_“Nightwing!” Artemis called. “Robin!” She and Wally looked disheveled, as if they had been sparring—or, more likely, making out again._

_“Hey Artemis!” Jason said, grinning crookedly. “Hey Zippy!”_

_Wally just shook his head at him._

_“Nightwing!” M’gann, Conner, and Gar entered the main room. Her eyes landed on Jason, and she lit up. “And you’re Robin!”_

_“Sure am!” He said, beaming._

_Gar flipped forward, tail switching back and forth. “You’re the new Robin! That is so cool!”_

_“Beast Boy, right?” Jason grinned, deliberately using Gar’s chosen future hero moniker in favor of Gar or Garfield. He was rewarded with a huge smiles from both of the green inhabitants of the cave._

_“Uh, good to meet you,” Conner said, just as awkwardly as Artemis had predicted. “Nightwing’s uh, he’s told us a lot about you.”_

_“All terrible?” He asked grinning._

_“Only mostly,” Dick reassured him._

_Bruce patted Jason’s shoulder._

_“I have a Watchtower meeting,” he told them. “I’ll see you later tonight.”_

_The Atlanteans entered just as Batman exited. Tula and Garth were nice, and Kaldur was just as amazing as Dick had described him._

_He got to meet the three girls next, and Jason was as star-struck as a hormonal twelve year old out to be. Raquelle was gorgeous, Zee was pretty, but Donna was beautiful. She wore a leotard that was covered with stars, which seemed to spread to her dark, thick hair. She had deep blue eyes that danced when she smiled and smooth skin and Jason really needed to be more careful about what he thought in front of mind readers._

_He met Sphere and Wolf, got a full tour, ate M’gann’s amazing cookies, and got to see the wall of souvenirs. With Artemis’s help, he taped a little piece of paper with “Robin was here!” to the underside of the top shelf._

_“When do you join the Team?” Troia asked him, laughing when she saw what he’d done._

_“Not soon enough,” he told her._

_It would be two more months._

Artemis pushed open the door to her old apartment.

“Artemis!” Paula emerged from the kitchen, looking overjoyed. Artemis had not gone to see her mother since the day before Wally died.

“Mom,” she muttered, falling into the hug that was long overdue. Tears streamed down her face as she embraced her mother, feeling as if she was falling back into her childhood again.

“Tất cả sẽ được tốt.Tất cả sẽ được tốt,” Paula whispered, stroking Artemis’s hair.

“Không có nó trách nhiệm về sai sót không được,” Artemis corrected, leaning into Paula.

“Không sớm, nhưng nó sẽ được tốt hơn,” another, unexpected voice said. Jade emerged from the kitchen, Lian propped on her hip. “Hey Sis,” she said, smiling softly.

“Jade,” Artemis muttered. Jade moved over to them, adding herself into their hug. Lian let out a gurgle of joy, reaching for her grandmother eagerly. Paula accepted Lian, muttering in French.

“French, Jade?” Artemis said, looking at her sister. “Really?”

“Roy doesn’t know Vietnamese,” Jade explained with a roll of her eyes. “He does speak French though. He says that if I teach her Vietnamese, he gets to teach her Navajo.”

“Roy’s French accent is atrocious,” Artemis recalled fondly.

“I’ve been helping him,” Jade said, smiling. “Him and the other one.”

“You’ve been spending time with Arsenal?”

“He’s a cute little brat,” Jade said fondly. “Utterly and completely creeped out by Lian, but cute nonetheless.”

Artemis let out a low chuckle.

_Robin was a welcome addition to the Team. Wally and Kaldur told Donna that he was similar to Red Arrow in many ways. Fearless, brash, enthusiastic, with a quick temper and a heart of gold, Donna enjoyed his company greatly._

_He made friends with Gar, being the closest to him in age. He spent time with Billy when the Justice League member had time to come hang out with the Team. And Donna and he, being younger than the rest of the Team, also spent a lot of time together. Zee teased Donna frequently, warning her about how charming Robins could be._

_Artemis smiled at Donna when she asked what Zee had meant. “You’ll see,” the blonde said after silencing a snickering Wally._

_Dick, when she approached him, choked on his sandwich, forcing Donna to resolve to figure it out on her own._

_Time passed. Donna was a bit surprised to catalogue the changes in her interaction with Jason. She watched as he grew up, puberty shifting his features from adorable to attractive. She started to appreciate him when he sparred shirtless with the other boys far more than was probably proper. Casual contact began to make her blush._

_She checked the list against one of the magazines M’gann had given her,and was slightly worried to see the result._

_She consulted Artemis again, who laughed and confirmed Donna’s suspicions, and then gave her advice._

_The next mission, once the job was done and the explosions (surprisingly) avoided, Donna and Jason flew back in the bioship, accompanied only by Wally and Artemis, who had also been on Alpha._

_“Donna—”_

_“Jason—”_

_They both stopped, realizing the other was speaking. “You first?” He asked, fiddling with his cape._

_“No, you,” she said, flushing the color of Wally’s hair._

_Jason blushed, ducking his head. “Um… so, uh, I was wondering… would you, y’know, uh…”_

_“Spit it out, Boy Wonder!” Wally yelled. “Ouch!” Artemis had kicked him._

_“Wouldyouwanttogooutsometime?” Jason said, the color of Wally’s pants._

_Donna felt a smile slip onto her face. “I’d like that.”_

Roy Harper (The Second) knelt beside the hologram of Wally. His head was bent in grief, his shoulders shaking.

“I am surprised,” Kaldur said quietly, stepping into the memorial grounds. “I… I did not expect to see you here.”

Roy froze, not turning to look at the man he had once called his best friend. “Yeah, well, apparently we didn’t know each other as well as we thought.”

“Roy…” Kaldur’s voice was pained.

“Save it,” Roy spat, getting up. He still refused to look at him. “You made it pretty clear.”

“I could not bring you into the mission,” Kaldur said quietly. “Not after Jade.”

Roy spun on his heel, glowering at Kaldur. “What does Jade have to do with it?”

“She came to me when she discovered she was pregnant,” Kaldur said, taking a step forward. “You were about to be a father. I could not take you away from that…”

“You knew?” Roy demanded.

Kaldur nodded. “How is… your child?”

“She,” Roy whispered. “Lian Nguyen-Harper.”

“How is she?” Kaldur asked.

Roy slowly reached into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet, and opened it to a picture of him, Jade and Lian, sitting on the couch in Paula’s apartment. “She’s amazing, Kaldur.”

Kaldur moved over to examine the picture. “She is indeed, my friend.”

_Donna sat on her motorcycle, outside of Gotham Academy. She was nervous, even though she’d already talked it over with Artemis and Dick, both of whom told her that it was “not creepy” to do this. Her motorcycle was black and sleek, as was her helmet. She wore dark tight jeans,a red shirt, and a black leather motorcycle jacket, all gifts from M’gann and Artemis._

_The final bell rang, and the doors pushed open, the students flocking out, eager for the weekend. Donna spotted Jason quickly, walking side by side with a bottle blonde who must be Holly Robinson, Jason’s best friend when he was a civilian._

_Jason’s eyes landed on her, and his expression was better than Dick’s had been when Kaldur of all people had died his hair pink. He walked up to her, Holly following, a curious expression on her face._

_“Donna?” His voice was incredulous._

_“Hey Jason,” she said, smiling as she lifted the visor of her helmet._

_“You’re Donna?” Holly said. She looked at Jason and looked back at Donna. “Yep. Way out of your league, Todd.”_

_“Shut it, Robinson,” Jason said, making a face at her, as Donna laughed._

_“You must be Holly,” Donna said to her. “Nice to meet you. Mind if I kidnap him?”_

_“Help yourself!” Holly said. “Have fun, you crazy kids!” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, reminding Donna surprisingly of Wally. Jason rolled his eyes, catching the red helmet that Donna threw at him. He got on the bike, wrapping his arms around her waist._

_“Where are we going?” He asked her as Donna revved the engine._

_“You,” she said, “Are going to show me your city.” She tore out of the parking lot._

Klarion, Lord of Chaos, member of the (temporarily separated) Light, walked through a Gotham cemetery, his beloved Teekl on his shoulder. “Are we there yet?” He demanded.

“Meow,” the cat said, or at least on the mortal plane. On the magical plane, it sounded more like Almost, you impatient idiot, move forward three more headstones.

“Fine, fine,” Klarion muttered, moving forward. “Ah, here we go!”

The tombstone in question was made of white marble. An angel was engraved into it and JASON PETER TODD was carefully carved into the smooth stone.

“Nice birdie, dead birdie, little dead boy,” Klarion sang, softly, pulling a blue bottle out of the astral plane. Inside of the bottle was something white and smoky. To anybody with sufficient magical ability or knowledge, it was a soul, which should not be on this plane. “Let’s see how you like this!” Klarion cackled, pulling open the stopper. Slowly, reluctantly, the soul exited the bottle, hanging above the grave. Klarion’s glowing red magic clung to it, keeping it anchored into the mortal plane. “This is what happens when you hurt my cat, birdie boy!” Klarion adressed the soul, face stretched into a demonic grin. He raised his arms into the air and shouted a chant in a language that had been rarely heard on Earth in the past few millennia. The soul writhed in place as a lightning bolt sliced right through it, and then was suddenly pulled down through the soil, towards the corpse that lay below it.

Klarion settled on top of a nearby headstone, smiling to himself. His ears morphed, becoming larger and more sensitive. He patted the large cross that belonged to someone named Thomas Wayne and laughed as he heard the little dead boy scream as he woke up in the coffin.

“Bruce!” There was a faint thump of fists hitting the padded insides of the coffin. Klarion laughed, stroking Teekl. “Batman!”

Teekl meowed, rubbing his head against Klarion’s hand. There was a scrabble as the boy started clawing his way through the coffin.

It took too long for Klarion’s taste, but the Witch Boy was kept amused by the boy’s frantic screams and pleas for help. Eventually, the dark haired boy emerged from the soil, gasping for breath, his hands a bloody mess. “Bruce,” the boy whispered. “Bruce…”

“Dead!” Klarion announced, beaming from ear to ear.

The dead boy looked at Klarion. His eyes shot wide with fear. “Klarion…”

“Hey dead boy!” Klarion said, teleporting down from the grave. “How was being dead?” He invaded the boy’s personal space, pulling him up by the lapels of the suit he’d been buried in. “Oh I suppose you don’t remember much of it. I grabbed your soul a while back!” He leaned in, smiling even wider. “It’s hard to take revenge on a dead bird, after all!”

Not-Robin squirmed in his grip, but he didn’t have much strength left after clawing his way out of his own grave. He was taller than he had been, but Klarion didn’t really care about things like that. “So,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “Let’s see how much youlike it!” Red lightning flashed down his fingers, pouring into the dead boy’s newly restored body. His mouth opened, let out a beautiful anguished scream.

He let the boy drop, twitching, to the ground. “And that’s just the beginning!”

Over the course of the next three hours, Klarion had fun. He broke the not-Robin’s bones sixteen times. He set the brat on fire. As a tribute to the Joker (one of Klarion’s favoriteagents), Klarion blew him up. (It was a pain to recreate the brat afterwards, but it was worth it, really). Eventually, however, even torturing a stupid formerly dead hero bored the Lord of Chaos. “I wonder what the heroes will think,” Klarion said to Teekl, walking away, leaving the dying (again) boy leaned against his own headstone, “When they find the brat all dug up again?”

Jason Todd muttered, as soon as Klarion was teleported away. “Bastard,” and stumbled to his feet. “Bruce…”

_Artemis and Wally curled up on the couch. Wally’s shoulder was serving as a pillow for Artemis and their arms were wrapped around each other._

_And Dick Grayson’s feet were propped in their laps._

_“Nothing like a movie marathon,” Artemis said, wielding the remote as if it was a scepter._

_“Nothing quite like it,” Dick agreed, scratching Brucely behind the ears._

_Wally snorted as Artemis poked him in his side. “C’mon, babe, start the movie!” He said, eyes wide. Artemis laughed, kissing his nose, before pressing the play button on the remote._

_“Harry Potter,” Dick whispered in a raspy voice._

_“The booooooy,” Wally continued in a high pitched manner._

_“Who lived,” Artemis finished, voice deeper than the depths of Bruce’s pockets._

Artemis and Paula made their way towards the Manor. Jade was going back to her husband with Lian, but Alfred had been kind enough to extend Artemis’s invitation for dinner to include Paula.

“You need to visit again,” Paula said quietly. “I know it is hard. But I am here for you. I will always be here.”

“Thanks Mom,” Artemis said, squeezing her mother’s hand.

Suddenly, Paula froze. “Không thể,” she whispered.

“Mẹ?” Artemis asked, trying to follow her mother’s gaze. A cry broke free.

_The Team was on a mission. Recon only, so Jason brought extra explosives. He’d caught on quickly._

_“The Injustice League,” Donna said, her fingers intertwined with Jason’s. “I remember first hearing about them.”_

_“Same,” Jason said, squeezing her hand comfortingly. “But this time the line-up’s a bit different. Copperhead’s a lightweight compared to Vertigo.”_

_“Don’t’ underestimate them Robin,” Aqualad warned. “Copperhead is still highly dangerous.”_

_“Don’t worry, bossman!” Robin grinned. “That’s why I brought the C-4.”_

_Kaldur smiled at him. “Robin, I want you, Aqua Girl and Tempest as Gamma—go around and disable the weapon. Troia, you will join Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis and Nightwing on Alpha. Primary objective is to engage the enemy, draw away from the others. Rocket, Kid Flash, Zatanna, you three will join me on Beta.”_

_Garth and Tula grinned at Jason. “Good team,” Tula said._

_“Head out in three,” Kaldur called._

_Donna quickly kissed Jason. “Be careful.”_

_“Always,” he told her, flashing a grin._

_“Aqualad!” Robin said, running through the forest. Tula ran beside him, eyes scanning for their target. “The weapon is disabled. Aqua Girl and I are pursuing the Joker. Tempest is holding off Copperhead.”_

_“Be careful,” Kaldur said. There was a slight explosion in the background. “The Joker is incredibly dangerous.”_

_“We know,” Robin said flatly. Tula looked at him as they ran. The boy—only fourteen, Tula thought fondly—had a thin, bleeding line on his face from the shrapnel of the weapon. Robin had used all of his C-4 destroying it._

_They came to a stop in a clearing. Robin looked around, wary. The Joker was nowhere in sight. “He’s close,” Robin said quietly. She saw him palm batarangs._

_“Surrender, Joker!” Tula called. A faint, maniacal laugh—creepily similar to Nightwing’s—filled the woods. Robin snapped around, focusing in on the source of the noise, cape flaring as he threw his projectiles._

_“Why Booooooooy Wooooonder,” Joker emerged, smiling broadly. a knife lay half-hazardly in his left hand, a gun in his right. The gun looked odd, painted bright purple as it was, but there was something else about it too. Tula growled, wishing she knew more about surface world guns._

_“It’s been too long!” The Joker said, moving towards Robin._

_Tula thrust out her arms, not liking the look on the Joker’s face. She called upon the water in the plants and surrounding air, pulling together a funnel. She started moving it toward the Joker, intending to drive the Joker away from Robin._

_“Booooooriiiiing,” the Joker sang, swiveling his gun to face Tula, even as he continued towards Robin._

_The gun went off, and Tula ducked, although no bullet seemed to come out of it. “Tula!” Robin yelled, charging towards her._

_Suddenly, the world pitched, colors flaring up, burning at her eyes. Her feet staggered, and she fell to the ground. “Ro… bin,” she muttered._

_The  last thing she heard before falling asleep was Robin crying out—in pain or for her, she couldn’t tell._

“C’mon Tim!” Dick laughed, dribbling the ball behind him. “Can’t be that hard!”

“Acrobat,” Tim spat as Dick did a backflip to avoid his grab for the ball.

“It’s not cheating,” Dick told him smuggling. Somehow, he had managed to get to the top of the hoop, and was perching there like a demented bird, grinning from ear to ear.

“That so is!” Tim yelled as Dick dropped the basketball through the net with a satisfyingswoosh.

_Donna flew into the clearing, where Tula lay on the ground towards the edge. Garth ran to her. “Tula!” Dick walked in, supporting Wally with Artemis’s help. Wally’s unlucky streak against the Injustice League had continued—his ankle was twisted and he was now unable to run. Zatanna half-carried Raquelle, who had been taken down by Black Adam._

_“Tula, are you alright?” Kaldur asked, lingering back. Donna felt a stab of sympathy for Kaldur. He didn’t talk about it, but it was pretty obvious to Donna that Kaldur wanted to be the one rushing to Tula’s side._

_Tula groaned, getting up slowly. Garth helped her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m… I’m fine. How’s Robin?”_

_The group froze. Kaldur’s hand went right to his comm link. “Robin, report. Robin, report.”_

_Static._

_“Nightwing—” Kaldur began, but Nightwing was already working on it, holographic computer out as he searched for Jason’s signal._

_Donna noticed someting by her feet._

_She leaned down, unwilling to admit she was seeing what she was. “I… I found his comm,” she whispered. It had been crushed._

_“His belt tracker says he’s in the woods!” Dick said, voice desperate. “C’mon!”_

_Donna and Conner tore through the forest, followed by the others._

_“No,” Conner whispered. Donna froze._

_Jason’s belt hung from a tree, impaled by a large knife. There was blood on the knife._

_M’gann placed her hands to her head, searching for the Joker’s and Jason’s minds. “They’re out of my telepathic range!” She said, desperate._

_“They can’t have gotten too far!” Dick said, frantic._

_“Keep looking,” Kaldur said. “And call the League. We need to find him.”_

_The “Before it’s too late” went unsaid._

Babs knocked on Dick’s apartment door. He didn’t answer.

She pulled out her phone and texted him. —If you’re home, I will infect your computer with a virus. You know I can. We need to talk.—

After a second though, she also texted Artemis. —Have him call me?—

She didn’t get a response. She didn’t really expect one.

_Sixteen hours passed. They’d torn apart the forest. They’d searched through the nearest cities, interrogated the other members of the Injustice League, and tried to use every tracking device possible._

_But the Joker—and Jason—remained untraceable._

_Dick was a mess. “We have to keep looking!” He said, pushing against Dick and Artemis._

_“You need to sleep!” Artemis said, grabbing his arms. “I know you’re worried, we all are, but you have to let us keep working while you rest!”_

_“I can’t lose him!” Dick yelled. “I can’t!”_

_As Artemis looked, she saw Jason Todd stumble over the hill, bloody, bruise, but alive. “Jason!” Artemis yelled._

_He fell to the ground. Artemis grabbed him, cradling his head. “Jason, Jason?” Her voice was desperate._

_He grinned, despite the fact that his face was a bloody mess. His lip cracked. “Hey… ‘Mis,” he muttered, voice dry. “Miss me?”_

_They’d finally found them. A warehouse, fifty miles from Jason’s abduction site. No one was sure how the Joker had gotten him that far, but right now it didn’t matter._

_Barry was off world. Wally was out of action. Doctor Fate was off doing  Zeus-knows what. The BioShip was the fastest method of transportation._

_Jason had been in the Joker’s clutches for thirty-four hours. Donna just hoped they weren’t too late._

_They flew over the warehouse. Donna got to her feet, preparing to jump out and break the Joker’s face._

_Just as they flew into the drop-zone, everything changed._

_The explosion was huge, rocking the BioShip._

_“No!” So many voices cried out that it was impossible to tell who was who—but Donna knew that she was one, as was the man in the cowl beside her._

_She leapt out of the ship, Conner beside her. “Donna!” She heard Dick yell._

_The warehouse was decimated. Donna tore through the rubble, searching for Jason. “Robin!” She screamed. Conner was doing the same. Kaldur emerged, helping them shift through the remains of the warehouse. “Robin!”_

_“Jason!” Dick yelled. “Jason!”_

_Bruce joined them, tearing through the rubble as though it was nothing._

_Finally: “I found him.”_

_It was Bruce._

_He held the body, cradling it._

_Donna fell to her knees, crying desperately, sobs shaking her body._

_Jason Todd was dead._

Paula grabbed Jason from Artemis. “Go get help!” She ordered, using a voice that left no room for argument.

Artemis tore down the driveway, still unsure as to what was happening. The grey clouds that had been gathering started to release their hoarded rain, transforming the dirt road into mud as Artemis ran.

She pounded on the door desperately, wondering what she could possibly say to explain this impossible situation.

Alfred opened the door, looking a bit displeased. “Miss Artemis…” He stopped, seeing the look on her face. “What has happened?

Artemis felt helpless. “I don’t know, we just found him… he’s hurt badly, call Dick and Bruce!”

Alfred quickly grabbed a first aid kit, summoned Bruce and Dick, and joined the m in their treck through the rain and mud to where Paula was.

“Artemis, what’s going on?” Dick asked„ worried. Artemis just shook her head. She couldn’t tell them. They had to see for themselves.

The three men had all seen horrible things in their lives. But all of them froze at the sigh of the former assassin cradling the former Robin, softly singing a song in Vietnamese to comfort the restless boy.

“Jason,” Bruce whispered. He took Jason from Paula, looking more vulnerable than Batman ever should.

“We don’t know what happened,” Artemis said quietly. “He was just… there.”

_Wally and Artemis lay on her bed. His hands were tangled in her hair, hers were around his neck as they kissed._

_They had been dating for nine months now. The date was September sixteenth.  Junior year was now in full swing, and they were supposedly studying for Artemis’s physics class._

_There was a rap on her door. “Artemis,” Paula called. “I’m coming in. Kindly at least pretend to be studying.”_

_They broke apart, quickly, rolling over to grab books and look serious._

Artemis left the Wayne family and her mother behind in the rain. She ran towards the cemetery. She needed answers.

Artemis was no detective. She’d always left that to the others. But even she could add some basic evidence together. Jason’s grave was torn open, as if someone had dug their way out of it. There were scorch marks on the grass and far more blood than there should be.

She pulled out her phone—a gift from Wally. He’d wrapped it in her colors and filled the camera with pictures of him making faces and posing with Brucely. She’d laughed so hard and then kissed him until they were out of breath—and started taking photos of the desecrated gravesite, trying not to think of how Jason must have crawled through the coffin and the dirt.

Sixteen pictures later, she fell to the ground, sobbing.

Why Jason? Her mind whispered, even though she didn’t want to. Why not Wally?  She felt filthy for thinking it. Guilt shook her, because Jason was alive and that was great. Jason had never deserved to die. But…

She needed Wally. She needed him and his stupid jokes and his ridiculous hair and his bad habit of wearing dirty laundry and his souvenirs and his himness. She needed Wally and it hurt so much.

If the universe was bringing back the dead, couldn’t it have given her Wally?


	2. Chapter 2

_Timothy Jackson Drake knew that things had gone horrible wrong. Jason Todd was dead. There had been a funeral, a small, private affair. He’d spied on it from the trees, feeling awful as he did so, but he needed to know when it would be safe to pay his respects to the young hero. He’d known Jason, not just as Robin, but as Jason. They both went to the Gotham Academy, and Jason had been nice to him. Robin was a hero, but Jason was a good person. Rough around the edges, but still a good person._

_Tim didn’t know all the people who were gathered around the grave, but he could make some guesses. Artemis Crock, a close friend of Dick Grayson’s was there, as was a red haired boy that resembled Kid Flash, on either side of Dick, as if to provide comfort. Kaldur’ahm was present, head bowed low. A boy with such a resemblance to Superman that it couldn’t be a coincident held a sobbing red haired girl close. A dark haired girl that Tim recognized as Troia, Jason’s girlfriend, was standing to the side, tears slowly making their way down her face. Tim recognized Rocket, and he was pretty sure the other girl was Dick’s ex-girlfriend, Zatanna. Barbara Gordon, who Tim had tentatively identified as the rumored Batgirl, and the Commissioner were also there. Bruce Wayne’s face was stony as the casket was lowered into the earth._

_This was wrong. Heroes weren’t supposed to die._

Dick called Doctor Leslie. “Please. We need your help,” he begged. Leslie might have not approved of Bruce’s methods, but she recognized the desperation when she heard it. She drove there quickly, breaking all speed limits and shattering expectations. She froze at the sight of Jason Todd, battered and bruised as he was, but she quickly set to work.

She managed to stabilize Jason rather quickly, using the supplies in the Batcave. Artemis showed up with the evidence (she’d clearly been crying, but Dick had enough tact not to bring it up).

“Who on Earth would do this to Jason?” Leslie said, removing her gloves as Jason rested. It simply looked as if he was sleeping after a bad patrol. His face was bruised, his lip was split, his hands were covered in bandages, but his chest was rising and falling and he was undeniably  _alive_. Bruce sat beside him, holding his hand with white knuckles.

“Who  _could_ , that’s the real question,” Paula said quietly. She wheeled herself closer to Bruce, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Ra’s al Ghul?” Artemis suggested, holding the cup of tea that Alfred had offered her with white knuckled hands. “His Pits are pretty effective.”

Paula shook her head. “It would not work like… this,” she gestured to Jason. “I have seen the Pit work. It heals all active wounds. If Jason had been in the pit, he would be uninjured. Scarred, perhaps, alive, yes, but this injured…”

“Klarion,” Dick whispered, eyes wide.

“Why would Klarion—”

“Klarion hated Jason,” Artemis whispered. “There was a mission, in Jordan. About three weeks before…” Even now, with Jason  _alive_  in front of her, she couldn’t say it. “Anyways, Jason had an idea of how we could get him to retreat. He rigged up a landmine. Lured Teekl onto it.”

“It worked,” Dick said, running his hands through his hair. “Klarion retreated.”

“But Klarion said… that Jason was going to pay for that,” she said softly.

“Looks like he did,” Leslie said quietly. “I’ve treated Bruce often enough to recognize the signs. Jason was tortured. And  _since_  the autopsy I did.”

Dick felt like he was going to be sick.

“We need some answers before we tell anyone else,” Bruce said quietly. “We need to know…”

“If he’s going to be alright,” Dick finished.

Tim just stood to the side, staring at Jason with wide eyes.

_Tim watched from a distance, as he always did. He watched Batman and Nightwing fight. He watched Nightwing and Batgirl hug desperately, Nightwing sobbing. He watched the embrace turn into kissing and quickly left, feeling uncomfortably voyeuristic. He went to find Batman beating up Poison Ivy. Much more comfortable._

_Batman started taking risks. More and more of them. Nightwing stayed in Bludhaven or with the Team that Tim had finally figured out existed._

_Things were falling apart. Tim stood in front of the gravestone of Jason Todd._

_“What do you think?” He asked the piece of granite. “Should I?”_

Everything was white. Whitewhitewhitewhitewhite **whitewhite.** Endless and ever going, nothing else destroying the beautiful pure white.

He ran through the whiteness, one foot in front of the other, never stopping, never pausing. What else was there to do, after all? It was nice; running there. He never got tired, he never got hungry. He just kept running and running, faster and faster, moving through the lovely, forever white. The white that just kept going. He kept going faster and faster.

He’d always been here, he was pretty sure about that.

_Wally, I need you! The voice was female and **he loved her**  and he tried to get through the white towards the voice but it was  **never** there just more white white  **white**._

He was happy here.

_Wally please! This was a boy, his best friend **what was his name**  and he needed to find him but he couldn’t because there  **was no way out.**_

He kept running into the white. As he’d always done.

_Tim felt like an imposter in the outfit. He’d made a new one, of course, but he still felt awful. The awful crushing illness in him, the inherent **wrongness**. Robin was a legacy, there were plenty of legacies, but never in Tim’s knowledge had someone ever continued the legacy of a dead hero._

_They were going to hate him._

_Dick placed a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon Tim.” His voice was kind. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”_

_I am never going to live up to this, Tim thought wretchedly. But he followed Dick into the Zeta-Tube anyway._

Tim watched as Jason started to twitch. All attention immediately went to the boy. Artemis grabbed Dick’s hand.

“Jason?” Bruce’s voice was gentle, and if it sounded like the Dark Knight was crying, no one commented on it. “Jason, are you there?”

“Too early for school B,” Jason muttered. His voice was dry, and he was clearly not awake. “Lemme sleep.”

“Jay!” Dick couldn’t help but call out, pulling himself and Artemis closer. Artemis removed her hand from his. She and Paula shared a look. This was a family moment.

The two Nguyen women exited the cave, side by side.

_“What do you think?” Wally showed Dick the ring. It was silver, with an emerald in the middle._

_“It’s great. She’ll love it.” Dick couldn’t quite meet Wally’s eye. “When are you going to ask her?”_

_“After the mission,” he said, pocketing it. “I… I’ve been meaning to for a while now.”_

_Dick looked away, ashamed. “Wally… I’m so sorry. For everything.”_

_Wally closed the case, placing it in his pocket. He then grabbed his best friend and pulled him into a tight hug. “It all worked out,” he said quietly. “It’s all okay now. And you were right. Kaldur needed backup. Artemis was the best choice. I mean, I wish we hadn’t needed to do it, but you did too.”_

_Dick clutched to his best friend. The two of them just stood there. Two best friends, finally over the worst fight that they’d ever had._

_They’d made it through though. Things would be better now._

Painpainpainpain pain in his arms pain in his torso pain in his  _head_  (oh God what did he _do,_ why was there a herd of elephants in his head, was Zee pissed at him?) God  _so much pain_ , jeeze did they bandage his hands completely? Fucking hell, how badly had he been hurt this time? He really needed to be more careful on patrol or B was going to bench him…

Oh. Right.

Dead.

Huh.

Klarion really  _was_  a vindictive son of a bitch.

Jason tried to remember if he had vocalized anything. He figured his first words after being resurrected should probably be really eloquent and meaningful. “I’m sorry I was stupid,” perhaps or “please tell me you didn’t find my angsty poetry journal, it was ironic I swear” maybe.

Of course, just then the pain in his ribs decided to remind him of its existence and his first fully conscious words were:  

“Holy fucking shit that  _hurts_.”

“Jason!”

“Jay!”  

Dick and Bruce were on either side of him, from the sound of it.

“Hey B,” Jason managed. His throat was dry. “Hey Dickface.”

“Master Jason,” Alfred placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder.

“Hey Alfie,” he rasped.

Dick quickly held a cup of water to his throat. Jason eagerly drank, the cool liquid pure magic for his parched mouth and throat.

His eyes landed on a scrawny boy, a year or two younger than him. “Who’s the kid?”

_Wayne Manor was **huge**. And creepy. There were so many rooms unused in it, much to Jason’s delight. He could hide away from Bruce “The Goddamn Batman” Wayne and Dick “The Boy Wonder” Grayson to his heart’s content there. The less they saw him, the less likely it was that they would change their minds and throw him back to the streets._

_Alfred seemed okay, but Jason knew a lot of people who “seemed” okay who turned out to be very much **not** okay. He didn’t seem to mind Jason’s appetite, although it was probably because Jason only ate so much in front of them. He nicked more at night, stashing it in his backpack, which he carried with him at all times. It had been his when he got here, so they wouldn’t take it when they kicked him out, right?_

_“Hey Jay!” Dick Grayson, AKA The Ninja, popped into existence beside him. Jason jumped away. He **hated** it when that happened._

_“Hi Dickface,” Jason said, pretending that didn’t happen. He’d been at the Manor for sixteen days already, and he still wasn’t  used to Dick’s manner of popping up._

_“So, ready for training?” Dick’s face was wide and open, the kind that usually belonged to a mark, not a vigilante. He was eager, practically bouncing up and down as he stood in front of Jason._

_“Yeah, sure,” Jason said, feeling incredibly awkward. The backpack felt heavy all of a sudden, and Jason wondered how the Golden Boy would react to knowing that Jason had been stealing food._

_Everything was so strange here. Jason had been in enough foster homes to know that each place was different—different rules, different traditions, and don’t even get him **started**  on the different food. But this place was so different that it felt like he had fallen through the looking glass and into Neverland or Narnia or whichever one that finished that metaphor._

Artemis entered the Batcave, pressing her palm against the hidden panel at the bottom of the staircase that made sure whoever had found the hidden passageway was supposed to be there.

“Artemis!” Jason was propped up in the medical bed, grinning crookedly. Already he was looking better. His skin had colored, some of the bandages had been removed, and he was moving and  _alive_. “Get me out of this thing, will you?” He’d disposed of the oxygen feed that he’d been hooked up to, but the IV was still attached to his arm. His hands were covered in bandages and his ribs were taped, but apart from that, he looked healthy.

“What did Alfred say when you asked him?” She retorted, crossing her arms. He looked just like she’d remembered him, albeit a bit older. How had he aged? He’d been  _dead_.

“That I need to wait until the tests come back,” he groused. “So where’s Wall-Man? Why hasn’t he come to…” Jason stared at her, horror dawning on his face as Artemis’s expression crumpled. “No. No no no no no  _no_.” He shot forward, grabbing her arm. “Tell me he and Dick had a huge fight and he’s banned from the Manor for a year. Tell me you dumped his scrawny freckled ass and he’s not allowed in Gotham anymore. He can’t be dead he  _can’t be_ …”

Artemis collapsed, sobbing. Jason grabbed her, although he was shaking himself.

“What happened?” Jason asked, once the tears were dry, and they both were too numb to do anything more.

Artemis told him, starting from his death. The memorial. Donna’s leaving the team. Tula. Kaldur. Ted Kord. Tim. Jaime. Her faked death. Arsenal. Bart. The mountain. The raids. The Reach. The fall of the Light.  _Wally_.

Jason looked horrified.”This isn’t right.” He slammed his fist against the metal bar of the bed, rage taking over his features. “This isn’t right!” He yelled.

“I know,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I know…”

“Wally… Tula… Ted…” Jason’s expression was distant. “They shoulda come back. Not me.”

“Don’t say that,” Artemis whispered. “Never say that. We’re happy you’re back.”

Jason let out a bitter laugh. “Wally was needed, ‘Mis. I wasn’t. I was… replaceable.”

“That’s not true. Tim took over as Robin, but he didn’t replace you, any more than you replaced Dick.”

Jason shook his head. “Wally was  _needed_.”

Artemis tried to deny it, although she thought of the empty bed, of the bad jokes never told and kisses never shared and  _no._ She wasn’t going to think like that.

“Look me in the eye,” Jason challenged, as though he had read her mind, “And tell me that you would rather have me here than Wally.”

Artemis couldn’t.

_Artemis laughed, trying to hold Dick in place. “Hold still!”_

_“But I **hate**  these things!” He whined, tugging on his waistcoat._

_“Man up, Grayson,” She ordered, working on his tie. “Barbara’s waiting for you.”_

_Dick’s eyes may or may not have glazed over ever so slightly at that thought. “How do I look?”_

_“Like Dick Grayson in a monkey suit!” Jason chirped from Dick’s bed, where he was sitting, cross-legged, with a book propped open in his lap._

_“You didn’t even look!” Dick sulked, his lower lip jutting out._

_“Do I need to?”_

_“Yes!” Dick cried._

_“‘Mis?”_

_“Not really,” Artemis said, finishing the knot with a flourish. “Although if you don’t he’ll probably make you.”_

_Jason looked up from his book for half a second, raised an eyebrow, and then returned to his book._

_“What are you reading that’s so much more interesting than me?” Dick pouted, flopping onto the bed next to Jason without regard for the lines of his expensive suit._

_“Nothing,” Jason said, at the same time as Artemis said “Jane Eyre.”_

_Jason flushed, bringing the Bronte novel up to cover his face._

_“Oh cool!” Dick said, grinning. “Love that one.”_

“You sure about this?” Roy asked Kaldur. “I mean, last time you two met…”

“I am perfectly aware of what happened,” Kaldur said blandly, face controlled, although there was a somewhat amused gleam in his eye. “I do not believe she will hold what occurred against me.”

“Are we talking about the same woman here?” Roy asked, unlocking the door. “Jade!”

“ _Finally_ ,” Jade said. “I was wondering when you two would finish duking it out.” She got off the couch, holding a gurgling baby in her arms. “Lian, this is Kaldur. Your uncle.” She carefully handed her smiling daughter to the man she had once tried to murder.

“Hello Lian,” Kaldur said quietly.

Lian let out a screech that was probably hello in baby, and smiled, waving her hands in the air.

“So, you’ll be coming around more often then?” Jade said, sitting back down. “Roy’s been sulking, and we could always use another baby sitter.”

Kaldur smiled. “It would be an honor, Jade.”  

Roy clapped his best friend on the arm. “It’s good to have you back,” He said softly, so that only Kaldur could hear.

Kaldur smiled.

_Tim Drake felt like a fraud as the cape hung around him. The domino mask itched against his face, and the weight of the belt was somehow even greater than the one he’d worn for training. Dick smiled at him. (Tim wondered if that was why Dick wore the mask so often—to be able to smile even when he was upset.)_

_“C’mon Robin,” Nightwing said, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. “The Team will love you. Don’t worry.”_

_Tim spared a glance for the glass case that held the memorial for Jason. **I’ll make you proud,** he vowed to himself.  **I’ll be a good Robin.**_

“Hey Baby Bird!” Jason called. Tim’s mouth quirked up, but he controlled his features. If Jason saw how much he liked the nickname, more would follow.

“Yes Jason?” He didn’t look up from his casework.

Jason had been improving in leaps and bounds. His sense of humor had re-emerged, along with his (in)famous temper. He was walking again, and working on recreating some of the muscle that he’d lost. Somehow, he had aged while he was dead, which none of them could quite figure out. Doctor Fate or Zatanna might have been able to tell them, but for now, while they ran every possible test that could be concieved of, Jason’s return was staying among the Bats and Birds—and Bart. The speedster had figured out the matter of Jason’s return only moments after Tim had told Jaime and Cassie that he’d be busy in Gotham for a while. Bart had immediately started to text Tim, demanding updates on Jason, who he referred to as “Red.”

Jason sat down on the arm of the swivel chair, face decidedly serious. “Can you help me with something?”

Tim finally looked up. “What is it?”

“I need you to help me find Donna,” Jason said, somewhat embarresed.

“What, Donna Troy?” Tim asked, eyes wide.

“No, Donna Noble,” Jason gave him a worthy Batglare. “Yes, Donna Noble, my old girlfriend.”

“Right. Of course,” Tim muttered, embarrassed. “She… well she mostly stays on Themyscira.

_“You’re leaving?” Dick asked, looking at the state of Donna’s room. She was packing her clothes, her weapons, even her books (mostly gifts from Jason, Dick remembered wretchedly.)_

_“I have to,” she whispered, brushing away the latest of her tears. “I just… I can’t… I need time.”_

_“Donna…”_

_“Don’t start on me Dick,” she said quietly. “I know you moved out of the Manor. Too many memories, you said. That’s how it is with me.”_

_He was silent. “Will you come back?” He asked, eventually._

_“I promise,” she said, kissing his cheek._

“Do you have a way to contact her?” Jason said, kicking his feet restlessly. It had been _three weeks_. He missed her something awful. He also missed Gar. And M’gann. And Conner. And Kaldur. And Garth. And  _Tula and Wally_. He clamped down on those thoughts. It didn’t do him any good.

He knew there was a chance that she’d moved on. It had been years, after all. She might have started dating someone else. She might have forgotten about him. She might have realized just how much a screw up that he actually was. But he wanted her to at least _know_  that he was alive, even if she might not necessarily  _care_.

“Not really,” Tim said apologetically. “I mean, you might be able to right after Rocket’s wedding…”

“Raquelle’s getting  _married_?” Jason fell off the chair, eyes wide. Tim peered at him on the floor, concerned.

“Uh… yeah. Next week.”

Jason sat upright, eyes gleaming. “Perfect.”

“Perfect?” Tim repeated, suddenly nervous.

“Last of my tests just came in,” Jason said. “I’m one-hundred percent Jason Todd. I’m thinking it’s time to plan the big reveal.”

 _Oh this can’t be good_  was practically written on Tim’s face in sharpie.

_Another funeral. Dick was numb as he, as the new Team leader, placed flowers by the memorial._

_Kaldur was gone. Artemis and Wally were gone. Conner and M’gann were fighting. Donna was…_

_“I heard.” He turned around._

_Donna stood there, tear marks on her face. She wore a black jacket, the one she’d bought for her date with Jason, red jeans, and a Wonder Woman t-shirt. Dick had never been happier to see her in his life._

_“Donna.”_

_Her arms wrapped around him, and the two of them just stood there, mourning their losses together._

Dick was only the tiniest bit tense as he was social. He wore a suit and sunglasses, classy but still secretive. The Team, the Justice League, and various other independent heroes were all in one room, (minus Bruce, who had opted out), celebrating the secondary reception of Rocket’s marriage.

Tim had let it slip that  _something_  was about to happen. Which made Dick slightly nervous, as he had no idea what it was.

Even the sight of Babs, radiant in a blue dress that hugged her figure and made her eyes gleam, could not distract him too much.

Raquelle and her new husband were laughing and being social with Clark and Lois. Conner hung behind them, awkward as ever. Tim, Cassie, Bart, Gar and Jaime, were all hanging out with Virgil in the corner, playing either Truth or Dare or Never-Have-I-Ever.

Dick watched Donna move towards the balcony out of the corner of his eye. He’d have to catch up with her later. At the moment, he probably should go check on Artemis.

_“Artemis,” Donna pulled her friend into a tight hug. Artemis clung to her, trying not to cry again. “I’m so sorry.”_

_Artemis let out a sob and held on tighter, and the two women who had lost so much just held the other._

Donna stepped onto the balcony. She needed to breathe.

She smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress absently. It was floor length and pure black, with her lasso functioning as a belt. Her hair hung loose, framing her face.

“You look beautiful,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

She spun around, and then froze. Standing in front of her, immaculate in a well-cut suit, his dark hair streaked with white, a nervous smile on his face, was  _Jason_.

“Hey Donna,” he said, voice deeper, eyes older,  _taller_  than she remembered.

“ _Jason_ ,” she whispered breathlessly. She drunk in the sight of him. There were scars on his hands, ones that hadn’t been there before. His green eyes held a slightly haunted look to them.

“So… um…” He noticed her looking at his hands and stuck them in his pockets. “I’m back.”

“I…” She was dreaming. She had to be dreaming. Unbidden, she stepped forward. Her hand reached out to touch his face. He felt real. She ran a thumb gently along the lines of his face. Tears slipped from her eyes. He was  _real_. And if she was mistaken, if it was a dream, she found that she no longer cared.

Jason’s calloused fingers brushed away the wetness on her face. She leaned into his touch slightly. “I’ve missed you Donna,” he said quietly, scared.

“I’ve missed you too,” Donna said truthfully. She hesitated. Then, slowly, she stood up on her tiptoes (he was so  _tall_ ). Their lips met, hesitantly. They pulled apart only a second later, both uncertain.

“Donna,” he said quietly, voice heavy with emotion.

She surged forward, pulling him down into a kiss, a proper kiss. It was better than Donna remembered, a sharp reality in contrast with the faded memories, desperate and passionate, flooding her veins with fire. Two years, they had been apart. It was impossible to incorporate two years in a single, no matter how long drawn out, kiss. But the two of them did their damned best to try.

Finally, panting for breath, they pulled apart. As Donna set about trying to calm down her hair, and Jason set about fixing the lines of his suit, they hear Raquelle shout furiously. “That is  _not_  funny!”

“What did you do?” Donna said suspiciously.

“Sent her a present, that’s all,” he said, offering her a smile and his arm as he slipped on a pair of sunglasses. “Shall we?”

She took it with a laugh. “Let’s.”

They moved back inside.

“I mean it!” Raquelle was  _livid_. “Whose idea was this?” In her clenched fist was a set of Jason’s precious Robin gloves. A piece of paper with the signature  _R_  scrawled on it was pinned to them. “This is  _not_ funny!”

“Sorry Rocket Power,” Jason said loudly, his voice carrying over the muttering crowd. “I couldn’t resist.”

Every eye in the room landed on him. Expressions warped in milliseconds. Some were confused. Some were incredulous. One (Dick) was exasperated.

“ _Robin_?” Billy Batson was the first to speak, mouth hanging open. “But… what…”

“Hey Red!” Bart was by Jason’s side in an instant, pumping his arm up and down in a traditional speedster handshake. “Greattomeetyou! I’ve heard loads about you!”

“Robin!” Gar tackled him in the form of a monkey, then morphed to his normal self. “You’ alive!” Still gripping on to Jason’s back in a reverse hug, he turned towards Dick, eyes dangerous.

“Nope nope, not like that kiddo, I really was dead,” Jason said, sensing where it was going.

“Then… how…?” Conner, looking about as comfortable as Tim at a swimsuit competition began.

Jason cut him off with a shrug. “I got better,” he said, in a British accent.

People glared at him, although one would think they would appreciate that Jason’s ability to make jokes when jokes shouldn’t be made hadn’t been killed along with him.

Jason sighed the sigh of someone who felt like they were suffering greatly. “Fine. Turns out Teekl missed his favorite chew toy. So he got his pet Witch Boy to bring it back. He spread his arms wide, allowing the wrists of his suit to move up slightly in order to reveal the series of rather nasty looking bite scars on his wrists.

Donna remembered those scars. The mission before… the Joker. She swallowed, and reached for Jason’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

The crowd of superheroes looked appropriately horrified.

And it was at that point that the freshmen started to wonder who exactly this guy was.

And that several people realized that this meant that Jason had been alive for some time, and the Bats hadn’t told anyone.

And then Bart accidentally knocked over the wedding cake.

After that, it was chaos.

_Donna was standing in a white plain. The wind blew around her in a familiar way—she was standing too close to a speedster again._

_“Wally!” She called, not understanding why, but knowing that she had to._

**_“You shouldn’t be here_** _,” a girl, pale skinned and raven haired said to her. An ankh symbol hung around her neck and her clothes were goth. “ **This is not for you.”**_

_“Where is here?” Donna asked, fighting the wind._

**_“The land between life and… Elsewhere.”_ **

_“He doesn’t belong here!” Donna cried, ignoring the ringing in her ears from when the other girl spoke. “He needs to come home!”_

_Kindness flickered across the other girl’s face. **“He can’t cross over with you.”**_

_“Why not?” Donna demanded, surging forward. Her hands passed through the Other girl as she tried to grab her by the lapels of her leather jacket._

_The world flickered in Donna’s view. She let out a gasp and stumbled backward, away from the Other. Her eyes were wide with fear._

_Death, for that was who the Other girl was, frowned at her. **“You are not one of mine. Only one of mine can reclaim him from this place.”**_

_Donna let out an anguished noise. “How?” She pleaded. “The dead are dead!”_

**_“The entrance is still open, Donna Troy.”_ ** _The words echoed in her head, placing pressure on the back of her eyes. Donna cried out, falling to her knees as an image of a snowy wasteland burned in her mind, seared into her eyelids. **“To you, I grant it.”** Death reached towards Donna, and Donna could do nothing to avoid it as Death’s hands rested on her shoulders.  **“When you find the entrance, you will find the strength.”**_

_“The strength for what?” Donna was pleading now. The Other looked at her with the smallest amount of compassion._

**_“You will understand. Donna Troy, you have until the sixteenth week has passed until Wally West will move from this realm into My Realm. You have until then to bring him back into the Land of the Living._ **

**_Do not fail.”_ **

Donna sat up in bed with a gasp, the image still burned into her eyelids.

_Only one of mine can reclaim him._

Donna looked to her side, where Jason slept peacefully. She swallowed.

She could get Wally back.

_“So…” Wally drawled, smiling at her. Artemis couldn’t help but flush under his gaze. “May I have this dance?”_

_Artemis placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Senior Prom. Gotham Academy._

**_If you be my star_ **

**_I’ll be your sky_ **

_They moved slowly along the dance floor. Wally’s hand was on her waist, the other holding her hand. Her arm was draped almost lazily over his shoulder. She stared into his eyes, trying to capture his face precisely._

**_You can hide underneath me and come out at night_ **

**_When I turn jet black and you show off your light_ **

_They moved side to side, slowly rotating as they went. The lights were dimmed, tinted slightly pink. That should have annoyed her, but Artemis found herself unable to mind._

**_I live to let you shine_ **

**_I live to let you shine_ **

_The crowd around them started to fade away. Wally’s face, despite the poor lighting, was clearly in focus. His green eyes glimmered. His smile was almost blissful as he looked at her. His gaze was adoring and it made Artemis feel warm._

**_But you can skyrocket away from me_ **

**_And never come back if you find another galaxy_ **

_Wally leaned in to whisper in her ear, his breath moving her hair and tickling her ever-so-slightly._

**_Far from here with more room to fly_ **

**_Just leave me your stardust to remember you by_ **

_“I love you,” He whispered, his voice deep and sending tingly feelings throughout her body._

_She smiled. “I love you too,” she said quietly. She kissed him, ignoring the vague sounds of Babs and Dick laughing just off the dancefloor._

“I can save Wally.”

Artemis’s world froze. The colors drained away.

Donna stood in Dick’s apartment, Jason by her side. The two had barely left each other’s company since the reunion at the wedding. Making up for lost time, Artemis thought numbly. After all, it was not every day that the universe gave you back the person you loved from death.

Dick, clutching yet another one of his articles with the number 16  written on it in large handwriting, stood frozen as well. Hope, fear, desperation, all were perfectly frozen on his face.

Artemis was numb, frozen. She was dreaming again. Dreaming. It couldn’t be real, it couldn’t be.

“What do you need?” Dick asked quietly.

Donna looked at Jason. He grabbed her hand and nodded reassuringly. Artemis frowned, confused by their actions. You’d think that in a dream, people would make more sense.

“I… I need to see. Where he…  _ceased_.”

Artemis flinched. The word bit at her.  _“Well get **traught** , or get  **dead**.”_  It wasn’t  _right_ , that what took Wally away was a dissected word. It was like someone had reached into her childhood and violated something beautiful, something precious.

Dick hadn’t uttered a single one of his words since.

“Why?” Artemis asked, the word sounding broken, pathetic, even to her own ears. She flinched internally. She  _hated_  being this week.

Donna bit her lip and gave Jason’s hand a squeeze, barely noticeable, but Artemis had spent months on a submarine watching for any sign of attack. Her perception was amazing. “Because… it needs to end where it began.”

 _Should be Cadmus then,_  Artemis had a sudden longing to say. But she didn’t.

“When do we head out?” She heard herself ask instead.

“Tomorrow morning,” Donna said, resolving herself.

_Artemis hadn’t brought much with her into the submarine. She couldn’t risk revealing her identity, after all, and the Light, for all she knew, had their whole house back at Stanford documented._

_But she’d brought one thing._

_A rock, from the beach outside Mount Justice “Are you sure?” She’d asked Kaldur, mentally pleading him to shake his head, to let her spare the first home she’d ever had”_

_It was made of crystal quartz, and was vaguely heart-shaped. Not very. She had to tilt her head and squint the tiniest bit, but it was enough._

_It had been a beach party Blue Beetle breaking free, desperate to save himself and his friends and it’s all Artemis can do not to help him get away because she knows what’s awaiting him down below the sea and she hates this, hates Kaldur, hates Dick, hates herself for letting this happen to children, she’s a **hero,** not this. Wally had found it, and pressed it into her hand. “Happy birthday, babe,” he’d muttered, pressing his lips against hers._

_Tigress carried the stone with her, hidden inside the secret compartment in her shoes. She took it out when she needed to think of him._

_She stared at it, mentally listing every single thing she’s going to do with Wally when she gets back._

_She’s going to kiss him until their lips are numb._

_She’s going to hold him and let him eat his stupid junk food and watch his stupid sci-fi shows and just be happy to **hold**  him._

_She’s going to make him take her running again._

_She’s going to pass notes with him in college classes._

_She’s going to make him help her wash Brucely._

_She can feel the heat of the explosion and she hears Bart whisper desperately and she closes her eyes and ignores the feeling of guilt and hopes **prays  dreams** that Dick and Conner and Wolf and Sphere got out safely._

_She couldn’t live with herself if they hadn’t._

Donna pressed her lips against Jason’s again. His hands were on her hips, scarred and heavy and real and  _there_ , and the whole situation was dreamlike. She moved her attention away from his lips, moving to his ear, his neck, his shoulder blades… Jason in turn was running his hands along the length of her body, caressing it gently.  

“You don’t have to do this,” she muttered softly, mouth a fraction of a centimeter above his neck. “We can find another way.”

“The deadline’s tomorrow Donna,” he said, eyes steady but loving as he looked at her . “I can do this. I need to.”

Donna knew there would be no point in trying to persuade Jason Todd.

Tonight might be their last night together.

Talking was just a waste of time.

_Donna set flowers down on the grave, ignoring the feeling that she was being watched._

_“I miss you, you big idiot,” she told him. Then she sat down, opening the basket she’d brought with her._

_She spread out the red and white checkered table cloth. Alfred’s chilidogs went on plates, along with a tin of cookies, a thing of cucumber salad, two cans of Coca-Cola, and a bar of chocolate. Perfect picnic food._

_She rested her back against his headstone and ate with his memory, watching the sunset go down._

_The sky was purple that night._

_Purple for hope, her mother always said._

_Donna brushed away an irritating tear._

The bioship landed close to where the last Reach weapon had been hidden. Artemis swallowed the lump in her throat, and stepped onto the hard ice.

“Where  _exactly_  did he disappear?” Donna asked. She’s wearing polar stealth—a white, long-sleeved leotard without her usual sparkles. Jason’s just wearing civilian clothes, albeit ones meant for cold weather.

“Around… there,” Artemis pointed.

Donna moved forward.

(Her foot stepped onto the spot where Wally had disappeared).

There was a noise, like someone was taking the fabric of reality and  _ripping_ it in two. Artemis was knocked to the ground by the force of the arctic air rushing to fill the suddenly empty hole appearing in the Arctic air.

The portal was like a boom tube, large and circular, radiating golden light. The wind pulled Artemis toward it. For a moment, Artemis swore she heard Wally screaming.

“ _Wally_!” She shouted, leaping for the portal. Desperation filled her.  _Wally was there._

The winds reversed direction, throwing her into Dick, who had been moving for it as well.

“Don’t!” Donna shouted. She stood firmly planted on the ground, arms spread wide, as if she was holding the portal open physically. A silver light surrounded her, creating the illusion of stars on her costume and in her hair. “Don’t touch it! You’ll disrupt it.”

“But…” Artemis protested, getting to her feet, struggling against the wind.

“That’s why I’m here,” Jason grinned widely. It was his  _I’m-about-to-do-something-really-really-stupid_  smile.

“Jason!” Dick yelled, his masked eyes wide. “What are you—”

“Already dead, Dickface!” Jason yelled, before barreling into the portal headfirst, his grin reckless.

The portal morphed to fit his form, swallowed him, and then expanded again.

He was gone.

_“Of course I’ll do it,” he told Donna._

_“You might not come back,” she whispered._

_“Please,” he snorted, moving to kiss her again. “Like you could get rid of me again if you tried.”_

Jason stood in a familiar place. White on white on white. How could he have forgotten this place?

He looked down at himself, smiling. He was wearing his old Robin uniform. He flexed his hands in their gloves, soaking in the familiarity. It felt  _right_.

“One last time, huh?” He said to the emptiness at large. “Well then. Holy Jeepers, Batman! We’ve got to save Kid Flash!”

There was the sound of laughter, and then two figures stepped into view. Jason wasn’t sure how they had been hiding, as there was nothing to hide behind, but he didn’t really mind. Things worked differently here, he knew that.

“Hey Grandma! Hey Grandpa!” He said, smiling at them.

“Hello Jason,” the woman said. She wore a string of pearls and a suit. Martha Wayne was dressed in life as she had been in death, without the bullet wounds or blood. She looked beautiful, a proper Gothamite beauty, with lively eyes and a kind smile. Jason threw his arms around her.

“Jason!” Thomas Wayne, wearing an impeccable suit, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you again!”

“Even if it means I’m dead again?” There was a gleam in Jason’s eye. Thomas and Martha both laughed.

“Even then,” Martha said.

“Have you seen Wally?” Jason asked. “Red hair, fashion sense of a condiment bottle, eats literally anything…”

“Your friend is that way,” Thomas said, angling his head. “He won’t stop running.”

“Thanks!” Jason said, reluctantly pulling away from Martha. He hugged Thomas too, for good measure. “Still waiting for Bruce?”

“We promised we’d be here,” Martha said quietly. “He’ll be wanting to see us.”

“He sure will be,” Jason said, shaking his head. “See you later!” He ran off into the landscape, focusing on the idea of Wally, picturing him in his mind. Jason shimmered like a mirage as he moved through the Realm Between Worlds with the ease of a boy who’d brown up there.

In a way, he had.

He saw things as he moved. There were the Coma Walkers, who were permanently confused, always asking for their families and friends. There were the Memory Folk, who flickered between the living and the dead, constantly crying. Then there were the Forgotten, gaunt and incorporeal, staring at themselves as they slowly faded into oblivion. Jason shook his head and kept running. When Death came for her rounds again, they’d go with her, if they were smart. Things had to be better Elsewhere than being a Forgotten.

That was thing about being dead, Jason reflected. It made one realize the presence of capital letters.

Finally, he found Wally.

Hilariously enough, the speedster was running in a circle. Jason rolled his eyes. The speedster hadn’t figured out that in Between, you had to know where you were headed in order to go anywhere.

“Hey Zippy!” Jason yelled. “ _Wally_!”

The ketchup-and-mustard blur kept moving in its circle.

“KF! Speedo! Ass-freckles!” Jason shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. “For once in your goddamned life,  _slow down and listen_!”

Jason growled, then reached for his utility belt. He’d really missed having it. It was so useful for things like people not paying attention. He grabbed a bolo, and let it loose at the circular blur that was Wally West.

“Gah!” Kid Flash appeared, tripping as the bolo wrapped around his ankles. “GAH!” He slammed into the ground. “ _Ouch_ ,” he whined plaintively.

“Hey Zippy!” Jason crouched down to take a look at his big brother’s best friend.  “Long time no see!”

“Jay… son?” Wally blinked. “Crud. I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“Only  _mostly_  dead, Wesley,” Jason said with a grin, taking on a slight accent. “There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there’s usually only one thing you can do—”

“Keep quoting  _The Princess Bride_  and I  _will_  kill you,” Wally informed him.

“Spoilsport,” Jason said.

“So if I’m Wesley, what are you?” Wally asked, getting to his feet as Jason removed the bolos. “Casper the Snarky Ghost?”

“More like Buffy the Reference Slayer,” Jason said cheerfully. “Crawled out of my own grave and everything.”

Wally looked at him in mild alarm. “ _Please_  tell me you’re joking.”

“Of course I am. Do I look like a hot blonde with superpowers to you? I’m  _way_  more Dean Winchester.”

“I don’t understand that reference,” Wally told him. Jason snickered.

“C’mon,” he said. “The portal’s this way. And your badass version of Princess Buttercup is there, so don’t drag your feet.”

Wally shrugged of Jason’s assistance. “So everything’s okay? The Reach didn’t win?”

“Nope! Angst overload though,” Jason said. “’Mis is gonna be really glad to see you Zippy. Once she finishes kicking your ass, that is.”

“She’s going to kill me!” Wally announced cheerfully.

“You’ve only been gone one hundred and twelve days,” Jason told him. “I’m sure she’ll only break both your legs. To keep you safe. Of course.”

“Nice to see the explosion didn’t kill your sense of humor,” Wally said dryly.

“I know, right? But apparently, quoting Monty Python at your re-introduction is frowned upon.”

“What?” Wally squawked. “Dude, that’s a  _classic_. Tell me at least  _somebody_  laughed.”

“Not one,” Jason said sadly.

Wally let out an anguished noise. “You see, this is why I never should have retired! Quip quality has clearly suffered greatly in my absence, if a Monty Python joke cannot be appreciated.”

“‘Got your nose?’ Is a quality quip?” Jason asked.

“So I don’t have a perfect track record, sue me!” Wally said. “Shut up Boy Wonder.”

“That’s Tim now,” Jason said cheerfully.

“Why you dressed like Robin then?” Wally asked.

“Because he is here as he was in death,” a girl stood before them. Her skin was white as bone, her hair pitch black, and her eyes were kind. She smiled at them. “Hello Jason! Hello Wally!”

Wally didn’t know her. Jason did.

Death of the Endless, the True Immortal, stood before them. She wore baggy black pants with silver chains, a bulky black jacket over a tight black t-shirt, and a silver ankh necklace. Her smile was cheerful and she was beautiful.

“Hello!” Jason said. He slumped slightly. “S’pose I have to go with you now.”

Death smiled. “Not yet,” she said softly. “Klarion broke a few rules… well, most of them really, but Destiny assures me it was meant to happen. I won’t be taking you home just yet Jason.” She patted his head. A faint silver light, visible only to those who were in-tune with the magical auras of the universe, surrounded him. To those who  _could_ see it, the aura read PROTECTED BY DEATH.

As it happened, only nine creatures could read the aura on Jason. One was Death herself. Six were her siblings. One was the creature that had resurrected Jason in the first place. The last was Doctor Fate, who happened to  _really_  dislike resurrections, as they disturbed the balance of the universe.

Death  _might_  have to put up with a little crap from her siblings about her fondness for the Robin. She didn’t really care though. As far as she could tell, Jason Todd could use whatever help he could get.

“Thanks Lady!” Jason grinned at her. She brushed the white-streak—her claim and mark—in his hair out of his eyes.

“Go,” she told them. She looked at Wally. “See you soon.”

“What?” Wally demanded nervously. Even being in the Between had not yet eased his concerns about death. (Death without the capital letter, of course. It’s hard to feel concerned about Death with an uppercase letter, since she’s just one of those people. You end up liking her, no matter what.)

She smiled at him mysteriously. (She was  _very_  good at mysterious smiles.) “I have another duty besides reaping,” she said vaguely. “All beings see me twice.”

“C’mon,” Jason tugged on Wally’s arm. The humorous gleam in his eyes told Death that he remembered the time he’d spent following her around for her work was remembered and he understood what she was telling Wally. “We don’t have much time!”

“Until later,” she told them. She faded from view, merging with another version of herself somewhere. Death was infinite. Every death on every planet of every living creature, no matter how big or small, she was there. She had more time on her hands than should be possible.

Jason dragged Wally, focusing firmly on the mental image of Donna. The world rippled, morphing to pull them towards Donna and the exit.

They skidded to a halt in front of the swirling golden portal. Wally’s face scrunched up at the sight of it. Wally might have gotten over his disbelief in magic and the supernatural, but that did not mean he had to like it.

“Science,” he said plaintively, pouting.

“You just met the  _anthropomorphic personification of Death_ , Zippy,” Jason said, annoyed. “A glowing portal the size of the Chrysler building should not be your biggest issue right now. He then proceeded to shove Kid Flash through the portal.

He jumped after him, grinning.

_“Um… who is this?”_

_“Artemis. Your new teammate.”_

_“_ _I swear, beautiful; I’ve never seen her before in my life!”_

_“So… I’m your ninja boyfriend, huh?”_

_“_ _Uh… this could wind up being one of those things that sounds better in my head than out loud? But… you_ **_are_ ** _a real archer. I mean, I’m jazzed about Red Arrow! We go way back, you know? But you… you’ve made your own place on the Team. You’ve got nothing to prove. Not to me. Okay?”_

_“And… Wally? It sounded… fine out loud._

_“I should have done this a long time ago.”_

_“No kidding.”_

_“Hey, it’s after midnight. Happy Valentine’s Day.”_

_“You remembered!”_

_“What could go wrong?”_

_“You can decide later… when we’re **alone**.”_

_“There will **always**  be a world to save!”_

Wally tumbled through the portal. His breathing was heavy, his feet ached like he’d been running for, well, sixteen weeks, and his heart was racing so fast that he could barely distinguish between individual beats.

He was kneeling on bleak white ground, and for a second, he thought the portal hadn’t worked, and he was still Between… between where? The thought slipped away from him like water in a strainer.

“ _Wally_!”

And then Artemis was tackling him, pinning him to the cold Arctic snow, but he no longer cared because her lips were on his, and she was kissing him like she was on fire and he was water, trying to bury herself in him to save herself. Her lips were chapped and dry but they were everything he needed, clashing against his, hot and heavy and fast.

Wally grabbed a hold of her hair and pulled at it as he deepened the kiss. She bit down on his lip gently, causing him to moan into her mouth. Her hands moved along the length of his chest, her fingernails scratching him through the spandex, raising goosebumps on his skin and he tugged on her hair, his fingers running through her blonde hair—had she cut it? He lost that train of thought as her tongue darted inside his mouth, gliding along his teeth.

He vaguely thought he heard someone— _Dick_?—make a gagging noise in the background, but he wasn’t exactly paying attention at that moment.

“That’s just disgusting,” Dick said. “SECOND BASE!” He shouted. He was ignored. He turned to Jason and Donna. “What do you guys say about getting out of here and leaving these two lovebirds to it— _oh gross Donna that’s my BROTHER!_ ”

Donna and Jason didn’t move from where they were, propped up against the bioship. Jason’s legs were around Donna’s waist, and they were making noises that SHOULD NOT BE COMING FROM JASON AND DONNA DOES NOT COMPUTE DELETE DELETE DELETE.

“ _My eyes_!” Dick screamed, falling to the ground. “ _My eyes_!” He rolled on the ground, screaming in anguish.

The two couples, thoroughly lost in each other, proceeded to ignore him.

It generally was a good policy. 


End file.
